Writing Fuel: Chocolate Muffins

Y'all asked for it, so I'm giving it to you: a recipe for a writing snack. Not only that, but I'm going to try and keep it fairly healthy. This recipe is delicious, filling, and full of nutrients. It's also easy to prepare and it makes a ton (so your family can indulge too if you're so inclined to share). A win-win for writers.

I found the original recipe here. They were good, but I felt like there were several changes I could make to it. I wanted it to have more of a chocolatey flavor and less sweet (I'm not a huge fan of overly sweet things). I upped the cocoa powder, added chocolate chips, and cut out the sugar. I also baked them in silicone muffin cups instead of paper, which helps retain the moisture. The result was sooooo much better! The texture was great and the taste was spot on! I'm impressed I managed to get pictures before they were gobbled up!

Ingredients:

4 overripe bananas. My family usually throws the overripe bananas into the freezer for occasions like this. When I need them, I pull out however many I need and microwave them until they're thawed.

8 eggs. Protein, y'all.

1 cup plain greek yogurt. The original recipe says you can substitute applesauce for this if you want them dairy free, but I wanted the extra protein in mine, so I left it the way it was.

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups oats, ground into a flour. I used the blender for this, splitting it into two batches.

1 cup cocoa powder. I know this sounds like a lot, but trust me it's necessary.

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 24 muffin tins. You can use paper liners or silicone ones (I think these ones are the ones I have). You might also have some batter left over, so you can either line a few extra muffin tins or find another small pan to use. I have a whole arsenal of silicone pans, so I pulled out my heart shaped ones and filled what I could with what I had left over. Those were adorable. You can use a mini loaf pan, mini bundt cake pan, or whatever you have on hand. If they're metal, make sure you spray them before you fill them.

Peel and mash the bananas. I put them into my stand mixer and beat them for a minute or two. You can go ahead and blend up the oats while you're doing this. Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla to the banana mixture. Blend well.

Pour the oats, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and baking soda over the top. Mix well.

Add the chocolate chips and stir until combined.

Pour into the tins and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (with the exception of melted chocolate all over it). Remove from pan and enjoy!

I highly recommend you heat these up before you eat them. They're not nearly as delicious cool.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Are there any specific kinds of recipes you want me to explore? I'm happy to experiment with just about anything, so ask away!